He had tried to say that Ayling, of Coulsdon, south London, had agreed to the kidnapping in a bid to further her career.

But a court heard that she was drugged and bundled into a suitcase after she showed up for a modelling job in Milan.

She was then held at a farmhouse in the Piedmont region while a €300,000 (£265,000) ransom was demanded.

An agent for Chloe Ayling says she feels ‘vindicated’ by the result (Picture: Rex)

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After six days she was released at the British consulate in Milan.

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Adrian Sington, who represents Ayling at talent management agency Kruger Cowne, said: ‘This has been an incredible burden on her shoulders for the last year in the face of media criticism of her motivation, and this is vindication – her story is true.

‘And it means now she can get on with her life. It’s hard if you’re being painted in the press as a liar and now she’s able to say, ‘I know it’s a bizarre story but it’s a true one.’

‘One of the difficulties with a psychopath and a narcissist, as Mr Herba is, is that he behaves in such a way that it’s almost impossible to believe that someone could be so stupid and so, in some ways, it’s not surprising that the media found Chloe’s story difficult to believe.

‘But let’s not forget she was bundled into a suitcase, injected with ketamine in the boot of a car and thought she was going to die.’

Lukasz Herba has been jailed for the kidnapping of glamour model Chloe Ayling (Picture: Rex)

Ayling was drugged, handcuffed and stuffed in a suitcase during her ordeal (Picture: Rex)

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Herba claimed during his trial that Ayling agreed to the scheme to boost her career.

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His brother, Michal Herba, was arrested in the Tividale area of Sandwell, West Midlands, in August and was ordered to be extradited to face trial in Italy. He denies any wrongdoing.

Italian police said the brothers are members of a group calling itself Black Death, which is active on the dark web and claims to sell women as sex slaves to buyers in the Middle East.

Michael Summers QC, representing Michal Herba at London’s High Court, said: ‘There is cogent evidence to suggest that it was a publicity stunt, rather than a bona fide allegation.’